Olympics: Retail's biggest names give their opinion

Justin King - Sainsbury’s, chief executive

“It’s been a very special year for Britain with lots to celebrate and be proud of. The Olympics and Paralympics promise to continue to lift the public mood and provide a real boost to our economy - particularly now the sun is shining and summer’s finally arrived!”

Philip Clarke - Tesco, chief executive

“Its an incredibly exciting time. Lots of families are having a tough time at the moment, and having the greatest show on earth happening right here on home turf should be a real boost for the country. We’re making sure we’ve got everything our customers need to celebrate what should be a fantastic summer for the UK.”

Michael Sharp - Debenhams, chief executive

“If the Olympics are going to be good for retail, then they’ll be good for Debenhams. In anticipation, we have already extended our opening hours so that people can shop with us before and after key sporting events without missing any of the action. Our first late opening last Sunday saw a very busy evening of trade for our Oxford Street store.  We’re also proud to be trialling special signage in this store in Russian, German and Mandarin to help overseas visitors and competitors enjoy shopping as well as the Games during their stay in the capital.”

Ian Cheshire - Kingfisher group, chief executive

“Overall, the Olympics will probably have a small net negative impact on [our] sales in the UK – people will either be watching it or will go on holiday. However, I do think that it will create a bit of a feel-good factor among consumers – a bit of a golden glow, if you like. And our sales of Union flags and bunting show that people are definitely getting behind Team GB.”

Mark Price - Waitrose, managing director

“The Olympics has the potential to bring people together in a mood of national celebration. This should have a positive impact for food retailing - and the early signs have been very promising. High profile Olympic finals are likely to become sociable occasions when people welcome their friends and family for a few drinks, a meal or a barbecue.”

Steve Murrells - The Co-operative Food, chief executive

“We’re anticipating significant sales uplifts at our stores in close proximity to Olympic venues, especially on event days. We’re geared up to meet high levels of demand to ensure our customers have everything they need to make the most of this monumental sporting occasion, which should hopefully produce a general goodwill factor, too, as everyone gets behind Team GB.”

Nat Wakely - John Lewis, director of instore selling

“The impact will be varied depending on where you are in the country and what you are selling. The more medals we win the better that feeling will get. The Jubilee was very good for us but I have every expectation that the Olympics will be better.

“It is so difficult to tell [what affect relaxed Sunday trading laws had, we had such a glorious day on Sunday which isn’t great for shopping. But it’s a unique opportunity.”

Catriona Marshall - Hobbycraft, chief executive

“I would hope there will be an uplift driven by the Games. It’s all about consumer confidence, which is helped by the recent good weather, although it is not always good for footfall. The Games will lift the happiness of the nation. We are opening for longer hours on Sundays, which is positive. We have seen a sales uplift in our medals and component parts to make your own medals and flame.”

Alex Gourlay - Alliance Boots health and beauty division, chief executive

“This is an incredibly exciting time for Boots UK and for the whole country. We are always there for our customers and this summer is no exception. To ensure operational continuity during the Games, we have undertaken one year of intense preparation across our stores so that our customers from home and abroad continue to experience the same level of fantastic customer care.

“We are launching our first ever multi-lingual advertising campaign which will be displayed in the London underground. To ensure better communication, staff in our London stores will be identified by which language they speak ensuring that customers can quickly gain the information and assistance they need.”